{"id":50746,"date":"2016-06-17T13:43:54","date_gmt":"2016-06-17T20:43:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.mcafee.com\/?p=50746"},"modified":"2025-08-31T22:22:32","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T05:22:32","slug":"sports-streaming-hidden-dangers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/sports-streaming-hidden-dangers\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep Your Guard Up: Sports Streaming Sites Yield Hidden Dangers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just as every dog has its day, so too do sports. The NBA finals, the Playoffs, the Stanley Cup \u2014 each are the pinnacle competition for their respective sport. So much so, that they often fill bars, homes and community centers around the country in the hopes that a favored team will win. Sometimes preparing for a big sports day means picking up chips and salsa. Other times, however, it means finding a way to watch the game online through various \u201cfree\u201d sports streaming services.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an uncomfortable truth for this day and age: if you\u2019re not paying for it, you\u2019re the product. That especially goes for websites that claim to stream \u201cThe Big Game\u201d free of charge. In fact, researchers from a Belgian University \u2014 who scanned more than 23,000 streaming websites and performed more than 850,000 visits \u2014 have found that as much as 50 percent<\/a> of video overlays on these streaming sites are malicious.<\/p>\n

You know what this means if you\u2019ve used such a service before: half of the time, those pop up ads covering the video you want to watch are simply malware<\/a> attacks disguised as fake \u201cclose ad\u201d buttons. And if you\u2019ve ever been told you need to download \u201cspecial software\u201d in order to make the stream work then, well, that special software is also likely malware<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tips to Avoid Malware on Free Streaming Websites<\/h2>\n

So what can you do to avoid malware on free streaming websites, sports-centered or not? Here are a few tips:<\/p>\n